Susan Hill has long been my favourite contemporary writer of ghost stories. Dolly was the last of her tales that left me with a satisfying sense of disquiet. But Printer’s Devil Court, which came out in 2014, was devoid of Hill’s usual sense of mounting dread and impending doom that propel her stories to their splendidly ghastly conclusions. This latest collection of four stories is also largely disappointing, with the exception of the last one.

In the title story, scientist Walter Craig is taken ill at several critical points in his career. His assistant plagiarises his work and uses it to carve out a stellar career for himself. Walter plots a clever revenge, but he doesn’t foresee all of its consequences.

In the second story, ‘Boy Number Twenty-One’, Toby, a reticent young boy at a boarding school, befriends Andreas, another boy of a similar, solitary temperament. They form a powerful friendship. But one day Andreas disappears without explanation. Toby is bereft. Later, on an excursion to a stately home, Toby thinks he sees Andreas. This is where the story becomes perplexing; the identity of the apparition at the grand pile is never made clear. The ghost could be that of Andreas, but if it

In ‘Alice Baker’, there’s something odd about the eponymous new employee in the office. It’s only later, when the demolition of the old office and an archaeological dig take place that answers about Alice Baker emerge.

‘The Front Room’ is the best story of the four. Norman invites his stepmother to live with him, his wife and their three children. She proves to be an cantankerous lodger. But it’s only after she dies that the full extent of her malevolence is revealed.

Susan Hill probably needs to spend more nights in old abandoned English mansions to frighten herself, in the hope of reinvigorating her ability to unnerve and delight her readers.

Reviewed by Tim Graham